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Anchor: Antonia Gonzales
The Blackfeet tribal court has released the names of the nine people who were recently arrested on drug charges at the home of the Blackfeet Nation tribal chairman. Montana Public Radio’s Aaron Bolton reports, the arrests came after the Blackfeet Nation declared a state of emergency following a series of fentanyl overdoses and deaths.
The Blackfeet Tribal Court’s chief justice initially sealed the case following the arrests last week. The court and Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Blackfeet Tribe Josh Lamson unsealed the case, releasing the names of the nine individuals arrested at the home of Blackfeet Tribal Business Council Chairman Timothy Davis. Six of those arrested share the Davis last name. Charges range from criminal sale and possession of dangerous drugs to child endangerment.
Chairman Davis was not home when law enforcement searched his residence and has not been arrested. In a text message to Montana Public Radio Davis said quote, “this terrible miscarriage of justice is a sham and was fake news and a political witch-hunt against me and my family,” end quote. All eight who were charged pleaded not guilty. A pretrial date has been set for later this month.
A Montana court blocked two state laws on Wednesday that advocates say hinder Native American voting rights. One measure would have ended Election Day registration, which Native voters rely on to cast votes. The second measure would have blocked paid ballot collection. Native voters on rural reservations often rely on the service of ballot collectors. The Montana 13th Judicial District Court of Yellowstone County granted the preliminary injunction. The challenge to the laws was by the Native American Rights Fund, the ACLU of Montana, the American Civil Liberties Union and Harvard Law School’s Election Law Clinic on behalf of two Native vote organizations and four tribes.
A number of Alaska tribes are backing U.S. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson. One of the tribes supporting Jackson is the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. President Chalyee Éesh Richard Peterson says that, while she doesn’t have the most experience in Indian Country law, Jackson is by far the most qualified candidate nominated to the Supreme Court in recent years.
“So, I think her given aptitude for it is a plus for us. You know, we want people to adjudicate on the letter of the law and we think the letter of the law favors a lot of the tribal cases.”
Other tribes and tribal organizations across Alaska have sent letters of support to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, including the Association of Village Council Presidents, which represents 56 tribes in Western Alaska. The letter states that her record of fairness makes her a good choice for the Supreme Court. Jackson also has support from Kawerak, Inc., Hydaburg Cooperative Association, Craig Tribal Association, Native Village of Eyak, Akiak Native Community, Noorvik Native Community and Tanana Chiefs Conference. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced this week that she would support Jackson’s nomination. Jackson is expected to be confirmed Thursday, becoming the first Black woman to serve on the nation’s highest court.
The National Native American Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday it received a grant to create an exhibit at the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City. Interviews of people inducted into the hall of fame will be used in an oral history exhibit. Part of the hall of fame’s mission is to educate the public about contemporary Native Americans by sharing their stories. The exhibit is expected to open in November. The award is from the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums.
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